This afternoon, results of a survey that assesses the inpatient experience at hospitals across the country will be made public. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is administered by the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA), a national patient advocacy group dedicated to ensuring our nation’s hospitals collect and communicate quality of care information. The survey analyzes feedback from inpatients about their experiences in the healthcare environment between October 2006 and June 2007. University Hospitals’ results will be posted on HQA’s Website, Hospital Compare, which may be accessed by visiting http://www.hospitalcompare.gov

As you know, patient-centered care is the foundation of our culture at University Hospitals, which is why we were pleased to participate in the survey and are voluntarily sharing our results with you and our community. According to the report provided by HQA, several of our entities, including UH Case Medical Center, UH Geneva Medical Center and UH Conneaut Medical Center, achieved ratings in a number of categories that were among the highest in the nation. Overall, our system performance suggests that we have some opportunities for improvement, which are being addressed as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the UH patient experience. We will use the survey findings to build on our already excellent quality program and patient-care initiatives.

One such initiative is our Relationship-Based Care program, which is a process that facilitates the strengthening of the relationship between the patient and the caregivers. The program recognizes that the nurse and patient/family relationship is key to delivering a positive hospital experience as our nurses provide compassionate, round-the-clock care to our patients throughout their entire stay. The program, which will be implemented in all clinical areas throughout our system by the end of 2008, is already seeing extraordinary results in the areas where it is currently being practiced. We will provide additional details about this extensive patient care initiative in weeks to come.

We are pleased to share the results of the HCAHPS survey and update you on a key element of our comprehensive quality program. We thank you for the vital role you play in delivering these results and your continued cooperation in helping us enhance the patient experience for all those we serve.

University Hospitals (UH) Home Care Services was recently designated a 2007 HomeCare Elite™ provider by OCS, a leading post-acute healthcare information company, and Decision Health™, a leading provider of consulting and information services for health care providers nationwide.

HomeCare Elite is a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home care providers in the United States. The annual review lists the top 25 percent of home care agencies nationally based on publicly available performance measures in quality of care, performance improvement and financial performance. The categories are weighted, and quality of care comprises the bulk of the scoring.

The award comes on the heels of UH Home Care Services’ recommendation-free Medicare survey and scoring 100 percent on publicly reported quality measures that are at or above the state of Ohio benchmarks in all quality categories.

UH Home Care Services is one of the largest home care agencies in Ohio, serving more than 15,000 patients annually. UH Home Care’s wide range of services includes home intravenous medication therapies; skilled nursing; physical, occupational and speech therapy; social services; and home health aide services. Integrating these services with hospital, outpatient and physician services produces superior clinical outcomes and customer satisfaction, and significantly reduces the risks associated with fragmented care delivery.

University Hospitals’ new television studio made its first live national broadcast March 27 to ABC’s Healthy Life medical news program hosted by Timothy Johnson, MD. Alvin Schmaier, MD, division chief of hematology/oncology at UH Case Medical Center, appeared on the show, discussing how recent heparin recalls are affecting clinical practice, and what alternatives are available to doctors and hospitals. Healthy Life, with an audience of 34 million people, airs on the digital news channel, ABC News Now, and is also available locally through broadband and cell phone services. You can see Dr. Schmaier’s appearance on ABC’s Web site: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4536964&affil=wews

You have probably noticed posters and banners displayed throughout the UH system that state “We Make the Difference.” This internal message coincides with the new advertising campaign launched last week that is telling Northeast Ohio about the excellent care our clinician teams provide to our patients, and the difference we all make in the lives of our patients and their families.

Check out our latest ad, which will be appearing this Sunday in The Plain Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, Lorain Morning Journal and the Lake County News Herald. And, in the coming weeks, look for more information about this campaign.

Friday, March 28

Oracle Applications, scheduled maintenance, starting March 28 at 8 p.m. – March 29 at 8 a.m.

Markview, scheduled maintenance, starting March 28 at 8 p.m. – March 29 at 8 a.m.